Performing Department Faculty

Robert Geary, Founding Artistic Director
Conductor of Ensemble and Ancora

For 33 years as founding Artistic Director, Robert Geary has put the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir in the musical vanguard through his determined advocacy of new music. Commissions, premieres, recordings of innovative and demanding new works by today’s leading composers and collaborations with domestic and international arts organizations have led to national and international renown.

Under his direction, in addition to winning many international competition prizes, PEBCC has the distinction of being the only children's choir from the U.S. to ever win a first prize at the Choral Olympics or World Choir Games. Geary and PEBCC have performed throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Italy, Slovenia, United Kingdom, Russia, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Croatia, Serbia, and most recently, Spain.

Geary also founded the professional new music vocal ensemble Volti in 1979 and he has been the Artistic Director of the San Francisco Choral Society for the past 21 years. His choirs have performed at the Oregon Bach Festival, the Newport Music Festival, with Oakland Ballet, San Francisco Symphony, Berkeley Symphony, San Francisco Opera, Mark Morris Dance Group, and Oakland East Bay Symphony; and for the national conferences of Chorus America, the American Choral Directors Association, the College Music Society, and the Organization of American Kodály Educators. rgeary@piedmontchoirs.org

Sue joined the Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir faculty in 1984 as Principal Accompanist and since then has served as conductor of Kinder Choir, Girls Beginning, Girls Advanced, Intermezzo, and is currently Associate Conductor and Accompanist for the Performing Department choirs, where she also directs the theory program for Ensemble and Concert Choir. Sue is the former Director of the Training Choirs, and twice managed the Golden Gate International Choral Festival, where she now serves as Chair of Concerts and Competitions. With PEBCC she has performed in more than 25 countries. Sue has worked at Piedmont's music camp every summer since 1985 and is a recipient of PEBCC's Founders Award. As a published composer, Sue writes most of her music for various levels of the Choirs and several pieces are with Santa Barbara Music Publishers and Alliance Music Publishing. She led her own children's choir from 2004-2013 and wrote "In Anchor Bay" for them. Sue is a sought-after collaborative pianist and musician, and works with numerous choirs, symphonies, schools, instrumental ensembles, theater, dance, or opera organizations. She has helped produce multi-media theater, recordings, film music, commercials, videos, etc. She graduated from the Conservatory of Music at the University of the Pacific with a music performance degree and later taught oboe at the National Conservatory of Music in Mexico City. Additionally, she studied solfeggio at Holy Names University and jazz theory and piano at the in Berkeley. Sue lives in Sausalito on a boat with maestro Robert Geary. sbohlin@piedmontchoirs.org

Andrew, (Bachelor of Music La Sierra University, Artists Diploma Hartt Conservatory, Master of Music Holy Names University), a leading Kodály based Choral and Instrumental Conductor, is in his eighth season as the Concert Choir conductor with the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir. Brown also serves as the Artistic Director with the Contra Costa Children’s Chorus and the Vallejo Choral Society. His conducting credits include the Pacific Boychoir Academy, Southern California Young Artists Symphony, Riverside Master Chorale and the Connecticut Valley Chamber Choir. His choirs have performed with Northern California’s leading musical organizations including the San Francisco Symphony, Oakland East Bay Symphony, San Francisco Choral Society, Santa Clara Chorale, San Francisco Bach Choir, UC Davis Symphony, Young People’s Symphony Orchestra and Vallejo Symphony. He has toured dozens of times nationally and internationally. He has appeared as a guest conductor with the New England Youth Orchestra, La Sierra Symphony and Hartford Conservatory Wind Ensemble. His major teachers include Jon Robertson, Harold Farberman, Daniel Lewis, Gustav Meier, Anne Laskey, Judit Hartnyani, Ildi Salgado and Janos Harvoth. Brown is active as a clinician, guest conductor and musicianship specialist. He lives in Martinez with his wife, Stella and two children Kate and Tem. abrown@piedmontchoirs.org

Eric TuanConductor, Ecco

Eric, enjoys a varied career as conductor, singer, collaborative pianist, and composer in the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to his work with Ecco, he serves as director of music at Christ Church Los Altos and as founding director of the adventurous 20-voice chamber choir Convivium. Eric has sung professionally with Volti, Cappella SF, and the Philharmonia Baroque Chorale, and has worked as a staff accompanist and administrator for Stanford’s music department. His choral music has been performed by leading Bay Area choral ensembles and is published by E.C. Schirmer. Eric received his undergraduate degree from Stanford University, and recently completed a Master of Music in Choral Studies at the University of Cambridge with the support of a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. etuan@piedmontchoirs.org

Shauna FalliheeCoordinator of Vocal Pedagogy
Master Voice instructor

Soprano Shauna Fallihee, Coordinator of Vocal Pedagogy, Master Voice instructor, Soprano Shauna Fallihee holds the Master Voice Instructor position at the Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir and at Acalanes High School. Since 2005, she has served as an artist in residence for Volti's Choral Institute for High School Students. Shauna has coached in the choral programs of Miramonte High School, Campolindo High School, Pacific Collegium's Chapel College Boychoir, and Cantare Con Vivos' Nova Children’s Choir. Shauna has given vocal technique workshops and acted as a clinician for Masterworks Chorale and San Francisco Choral Society. She maintains a large private voice studio, serving children through professional singers. In addition to voice instruction, Shauna teaches The Dailey Method, an alignment based barre fitness class at the Piedmont and Berkeley studios. As a performer, Shauna has been featured with numerous Bay Area ensembles including San Francisco Choral Society, Masterworks Chorale, Albany Chamber Orchestra, Open Opera, and West Bay Opera. Shauna is currently on the faculty of City College of San Francisco teaching Voice Class, Chabot College teaching private voice, and Holy Names University teaching voice lessons, Vocal Forum, Opera Workshop and Literature of the Voice.

Christine (Tchii) Fernandez, Accompanist

Christine grew up playing piano based on a strong foundation through the Suzuki Method. With the guidance of her parents, who have been Suzuki Piano Method teachers for nearly 30 years, Christine performed all solo graduation and master course recitals throughout her studies on the Suzuki method. She competed for numerous competitions and performed with many orchestras. She’s won in various venues such as East Bay Music Festival, MTAC Alameda County Branch Memorial Scholarship Foundation Auditions, Holy Names University Concerto Competition, Palo Alto Philharmonic Concerto Competition, and subsequently performed with Berkeley Youth Orchestra, Holy Names University Orchestra, and Palo Alto Philharmonic Orchestra. At age 16, Christine started to study at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She holds a BA in Piano Performance. In addition to her parents, her teachers include Roy Bogas, Sharon Mann and Mack McCray. She has been assisting and coaching in the Tchii’s Piano School of Music in lessons, ensemble classes, music theory classes, and concerto competitions. Furthermore, she has been in demand for her accompanying in the East Bay Area. Currently she is a staff accompanist and clinician at Holy Names University, Head Royce, Piedmont Middle & High Schools, and Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir